Top 20 Times Movie Characters Went GOD MODE
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Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 20 Times Movie Characters Went God Mode. For this list, we’ll be looking at the moments in film when characters obtain or display incredible powers or skills. Since many of these involve important plot points, there will be spoilers ahead. If there’s a divinely cool movie character feat you wish had featured on our list, you too can go god mode by telling us in the comments!
Diana of Themyscira is powerful even by the standards of her warrior people. Being a demigoddess will do that. Even so, it isn’t until she finds herself in the middle of one of the worst wars in history that we get to see the true extent of her power. Diana and her friends need to get across no man’s land in the middle of trench warfare. And while everyone around her insists it’s impossible to cross, Diana climbs out of the trench and charges across the field. As she takes all the fire, Diana manages to block automatic weapons and perform incredible leaps. With such a remarkable display, it’s no wonder her friends and the Allied troops are inspired to follow her.
John Murdoch lives in a city of perpetual night, controlled by alien beings known as the Strangers. This hive mind of pale villains alter both the landscape of the city and the memories of its residents regularly, partially through an ability called “tuning.” While the Strangers intend to implant Murdoch with their own memories, human scientist Dr. Daniel Schreber alters Murdoch’s memories so that he learns how to use the tuning, but retains his humanity. This lets Murdoch engage in a reality-warping battle with the Strangers’ leader, Mr. Book. Murdoch and Book throw psychic blasts at each other, reshape the city around them, and fly through the air. Their tune may not be godlike, but it’s certainly in the same key.
Sing is a perpetual troublemaker, whose actions put a rundown slum in danger from the Axe Gang. However, after a thorough beating from superhuman kung fu legend, the Beast, the gang’s new leader, Sing’s latent chi is released and his knowledge of Buddhist Palm unearthed. Sing then proceeds to beat up the entirety of the Axe Gang, cartoonishly crushing their toes and knocking them into the sky with abandon. He’s then challenged by the Beast, whose frog-like fighting style (and appearance) sends Sing flying into the sky. However, Sing uses the ultimate Buddhist Palm technique and flattens the Beast, and shows him he still has much to learn. Sing’s effortless fighting style and massive hand shockwaves are downright heavenly.
John Preston may act as an enforcer for a dystopian regime bent on suppressing emotions, but when he starts to feel, the villains should beware! Enraged at DuPont, the secret leader of the government, Preston escapes his capture and makes a dramatic assault on DuPont’s office. Using his training in an impractical, yet amazing, gun-based martial art, Preston tears his way through goons in a long hallway. He does flips, sets up clips for him to reload ahead of time, and somehow doesn’t manage to get hit by the dozens of rifle-toting guards! It’s a superhuman bit of gunplay that still has us in awe!
Thor faces a lot of challenges in his third solo movie, but easily the biggest is his sister, Hela, the goddess of death. When she cuts out Thor’s eye and sets her minions against the fleeing people of Asgard, things look dire. However, a vision of Thor’s father Odin reminds Thor that his lost hammer, Mjolnir, was merely a way for him to focus his powers, not the source of it. He descends from the sky in a bolt of lightning, fighting through waves of Hela’s soldiers. They don’t stand a chance against the god of thunder. It makes for one awesome sequence! And it feels even more divine thanks to help from Led Zeppelin!
Throughout this sci-fi film, we see the titular character gain increasingly fantastical abilities as she uses her brain to its fullest capacity. It’s not a scientifically accurate premise, but it makes for a thrilling movie. Once Lucy closes in on 100 percent, she gains the ability to travel through space and time. Her abilities include being able to pause, rewind, and accelerate time as if the world was just a movie. Her journey takes her back to the beginning of human life and planet Earth. Eventually, Lucy leaves her body behind and is “everywhere.” While it may only be 15th on our list, Lucy’s god mode moment may best illustrate what being a god would truly be like.
Peter Quill’s reunion with his father starts off well, albeit in a weird way. His dad, Ego, is a Celestial, a god-like alien being the size of a planet, after all. But revelations about Ego’s plan to expand his influence across the galaxy, as well as the fact that he killed Peter’s mother, sour things between them significantly. While his friends work to set a bomb that will kill Ego, Quill awakens his own Celestial abilities to distract him. Their clash sees the two using their abilities to literally reshape the world around them in powerful, and occasionally funny, ways. It makes for a crazy fight scene and features Quill at his strongest – although his dance moves are also pretty powerful.
For most of his eponymous film, martial arts master Ip Man displays calm restraint in his fights. But he holds nothing back when he learns that his friend has been killed after a match with the occupying Japanese to obtain a bag of rice. Challenging ten black belts at once, Ip Man brutally defeats them all! Ip’s rage is palpable throughout the scene as he effortlessly handles master fighters, breaking limbs and pummeling them all into submission. Breathtaking, heartbreaking, and terrifying all at once, Ip Man may not have any special powers, but that only makes this fight even more phenomenal!
Barry Allen, aka the Flash, may be the fastest man alive, but sometimes he’s not fast enough to save everyone. Such is the case when the Justice League fails to prevent Steppenwolf’s plans to terraform Earth with the Mother Boxes and they all die in an explosion. Or so it would seem! As the shockwave approaches him, Barry enters the Speed Force. This allows him to run faster than light, effectively turning back time, as his footsteps effectively create a new future as he runs to the past. By supercharging Cyborg, Flash helps prevent the explosion, saving the Justice League and the world! And when you’re powerful enough to save heroes of their caliber, that’s quite impressive!
The Rebels’ daring raid to acquire the plans to the Death Star costs many lives, including all of the main protagonists of the film. But at least once the plans are in the hands of the Rebels, the danger is over, right? Wrong! Darth Vader boards the Rebel flagship and relentlessly pursues the intel, mowing men down with his lightsaber and throwing them around with the Force. This incredible scene was actually conceptualized late and added as part of reshoots - and thank goodness! It somehow captures all of Darth Vader’s might and badassery in one short scene.
Evelyn Wang has maybe one of the weirdest days anyone has ever had in this film. Her rapidly developed ability to shift her mind into versions of herself across the multiverse comes in handy when trying to stop Jobu Tupaki, a version of her daughter, from using an apocalyptic bagel. Like we said - it’s real weird. And while her universe-hopping has allowed Evelyn to acquire various skills, the best one she learns is from her husband Waymond - being kind. As Evelyn fights through Jobu’s followers, she uses her abilities not to injure them, but rather to make them happy. This ranges from recreating a late wife’s perfume to a “Raccacoonie” situation. It’s a hilarious and uplifting way to fight.
Yeah – we’re doing two Thor moments! But they’re in different movies, and we blame their awesomeness! The god of thunder is put through the wringer in this movie, with Thanos killing half his people, along with his brother. Thor sets out to create a new weapon capable of taking on the Mad Titan. Meanwhile, the Avengers and Wakandans battle Thanos’s Outriders, but are badly outnumbered. Just as they’re overwhelmed, Thos arrives like a boss, with Rocket and Groot in tow. He uses his new ax, Stormbreaker, to decimate Thanos’s forces, turning the tide of the battle. This is Thor in his prime - it honestly feels like he can accomplish anything in this moment.
The first “Kingsman” film illustrates early on that secret agent Harry Hart can handle himself. But this scene shows him take it to another level. While Harry is investigating a church, villain Richmond Valentine activates a signal through cell phones to make everyone, including Harry, murderously violent. Because of Harry’s training, he’s able to be ruthlessly efficient in his programmed directive, tearing through everyone else like tissue paper. When he runs out of bullets … well, he improvises! The free-flowing, brutal action, combined with the killer sounds of Lynyrd Skynyrd make for a great combo and a fight scene that’s not soon forgotten!
In this roaring rampage of revenge, Beatrix Kiddo, better known as the Bride, attacks a Japanese restaurant in Tokyo to get at her target, O-Ren Ishii. However, O-Ren is soon joined by her legion of skilled fighters, the Crazy 88. Vastly outnumbered, the Bride slices and dices her way through dozens of sword-wielding gangsters with creative and outlandish moves at every turn. And while she takes a few hits, mostly from the group’s leader, Johnny Mo, the Bride still turns a small army into mincemeat in a matter of minutes!
The Wachowskis’ game-changing sci-fi film sees a lot of characters bending the laws of physics inside of the simulated reality that is the Matrix. However, things get epic when the protagonist Neo finally breaks them. After being shot and apparently killed by Agent Smith, Neo is resurrected by Trinity with a kiss. The hero then stands back up and doesn’t dodge the bullet the Agents shoot at him – because he doesn’t have to! Neo at last believes what Morpheus and Trinity believed all along – he is the One! Watching Agent Smith, who had previously been so unstoppable, get thoroughly handled and then blown up by Neo is incredibly satisfying. Within the Matrix, Neo might as well be a god.
Godzilla is kind of always in god mode – it is in his name, after all. However, the iconic monster has received some awesome power-ups over the years. His infinite heat ray moment against Destroyah was definitely a contender. But we elected a more recent moment. While battling Ghidorah in Boston, Godzilla is already building towards a meltdown with a buildup of radiation. However, a boost from Mothra allows the reptile to use his burning thermonuclear power against Ghidorah. Godzilla is able to launch the radiation in waves at his foe, while being immune to Ghidorah’s own beam breath. After he killed his opponent in such a flashy way, it’s no wonder the other Titans bow to him. Hail to the king, baby!
“The Lord of the Rings” films have so many epic moments we could’ve chosen. And while Legolas taking down a squad of Haradrim is super cool, that still only counts as one. This one battle counts for many! Gandalf the wizard holds back the Balrog in the mines of Moria with only his staff and his sword. While their encounter on the bridge is legendary enough, their battle doesn’t end there! Gandalf fights Durin’s Bane all the way down and for days on end, all the way up the mountains again! The Balrog should’ve known not to mess with a servant of the Secret Fire!
Turns out using his latent god powers wasn’t even the most power Star-Lord ever wielded. The finale of the first “Guardians” film sees Peter Quill distracting the villain Ronan with a would-be dance-off long enough for his friends to separate the Kree warlord from the Power Stone, one of the Infinity Stones. Quill leaps to catch it, but soon regrets it, since it proves extremely potent, flaking away parts of his body. But, as Ronan gloats, Quill’s friends hold on to him, spreading the power between them. As it stabilizes, the newly minted Guardians of the Galaxy use the energy to vaporize Ronan and save the galaxy. Can you imagine how powerful it would’ve been if they’d danced?
Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor! Fans had long suspected that Steve Rogers, Captain America himself, would be able to wield Thor’s hammer. So, when Thanos is about to kill Thor during the final battle and Mjolnir flies through the air back into Cap’s hand – we all lost our minds! Cap is not only able to throw the hammer and call it back to him, he’s also able to summon lightning, which he uses in a fantastically awesome series of attacks against Thanos. This is Steve Rogers, the formerly skinny kid from Brooklyn, wielding the power of a god!
We don’t usually do multiple entries from one film, but come on! This movie is so epic and there are so many moments to choose from, like Wanda’s revenge on Thanos! Iron Man’s final stand sees him use sleight of hand and nanites to steal the Infinity Stones from Thanos. He then uses the Stones, at the cost of his life, to defeat Thanos and his armies. And sure, technically, when Thanos snaps it’s more powerful, since he dusts half the universe. But, while we were tempted to choose that moment instead, ultimately, Tony Stark’s iconic final act felt more worthy of celebration. He looks cooler doing it, for one. Plus, Thanos is already practically a demi-god, while Tony is just a man - “Iron Man.”
#20: Wonder Woman Crosses No Man’s Land
“Wonder Woman” (2017)Diana of Themyscira is powerful even by the standards of her warrior people. Being a demigoddess will do that. Even so, it isn’t until she finds herself in the middle of one of the worst wars in history that we get to see the true extent of her power. Diana and her friends need to get across no man’s land in the middle of trench warfare. And while everyone around her insists it’s impossible to cross, Diana climbs out of the trench and charges across the field. As she takes all the fire, Diana manages to block automatic weapons and perform incredible leaps. With such a remarkable display, it’s no wonder her friends and the Allied troops are inspired to follow her.
#19: John Murdoch Uses the Tuning
“Dark City” (1998)John Murdoch lives in a city of perpetual night, controlled by alien beings known as the Strangers. This hive mind of pale villains alter both the landscape of the city and the memories of its residents regularly, partially through an ability called “tuning.” While the Strangers intend to implant Murdoch with their own memories, human scientist Dr. Daniel Schreber alters Murdoch’s memories so that he learns how to use the tuning, but retains his humanity. This lets Murdoch engage in a reality-warping battle with the Strangers’ leader, Mr. Book. Murdoch and Book throw psychic blasts at each other, reshape the city around them, and fly through the air. Their tune may not be godlike, but it’s certainly in the same key.
#18: Buddhist Palm
“Kung Fu Hustle” (2004)Sing is a perpetual troublemaker, whose actions put a rundown slum in danger from the Axe Gang. However, after a thorough beating from superhuman kung fu legend, the Beast, the gang’s new leader, Sing’s latent chi is released and his knowledge of Buddhist Palm unearthed. Sing then proceeds to beat up the entirety of the Axe Gang, cartoonishly crushing their toes and knocking them into the sky with abandon. He’s then challenged by the Beast, whose frog-like fighting style (and appearance) sends Sing flying into the sky. However, Sing uses the ultimate Buddhist Palm technique and flattens the Beast, and shows him he still has much to learn. Sing’s effortless fighting style and massive hand shockwaves are downright heavenly.
#17: Hallway Shootout
“Equilibrium” (2002)John Preston may act as an enforcer for a dystopian regime bent on suppressing emotions, but when he starts to feel, the villains should beware! Enraged at DuPont, the secret leader of the government, Preston escapes his capture and makes a dramatic assault on DuPont’s office. Using his training in an impractical, yet amazing, gun-based martial art, Preston tears his way through goons in a long hallway. He does flips, sets up clips for him to reload ahead of time, and somehow doesn’t manage to get hit by the dozens of rifle-toting guards! It’s a superhuman bit of gunplay that still has us in awe!
#16: Thor, God of Thunder
“Thor: Ragnarok” (2017)Thor faces a lot of challenges in his third solo movie, but easily the biggest is his sister, Hela, the goddess of death. When she cuts out Thor’s eye and sets her minions against the fleeing people of Asgard, things look dire. However, a vision of Thor’s father Odin reminds Thor that his lost hammer, Mjolnir, was merely a way for him to focus his powers, not the source of it. He descends from the sky in a bolt of lightning, fighting through waves of Hela’s soldiers. They don’t stand a chance against the god of thunder. It makes for one awesome sequence! And it feels even more divine thanks to help from Led Zeppelin!
#15: 100 Percent
“Lucy” (2014)Throughout this sci-fi film, we see the titular character gain increasingly fantastical abilities as she uses her brain to its fullest capacity. It’s not a scientifically accurate premise, but it makes for a thrilling movie. Once Lucy closes in on 100 percent, she gains the ability to travel through space and time. Her abilities include being able to pause, rewind, and accelerate time as if the world was just a movie. Her journey takes her back to the beginning of human life and planet Earth. Eventually, Lucy leaves her body behind and is “everywhere.” While it may only be 15th on our list, Lucy’s god mode moment may best illustrate what being a god would truly be like.
#14: Star-Lord Uses His Celestial Powers
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” (2017)Peter Quill’s reunion with his father starts off well, albeit in a weird way. His dad, Ego, is a Celestial, a god-like alien being the size of a planet, after all. But revelations about Ego’s plan to expand his influence across the galaxy, as well as the fact that he killed Peter’s mother, sour things between them significantly. While his friends work to set a bomb that will kill Ego, Quill awakens his own Celestial abilities to distract him. Their clash sees the two using their abilities to literally reshape the world around them in powerful, and occasionally funny, ways. It makes for a crazy fight scene and features Quill at his strongest – although his dance moves are also pretty powerful.
#13: Fight With Ten Black Belts
“Ip Man” (2008)For most of his eponymous film, martial arts master Ip Man displays calm restraint in his fights. But he holds nothing back when he learns that his friend has been killed after a match with the occupying Japanese to obtain a bag of rice. Challenging ten black belts at once, Ip Man brutally defeats them all! Ip’s rage is palpable throughout the scene as he effortlessly handles master fighters, breaking limbs and pummeling them all into submission. Breathtaking, heartbreaking, and terrifying all at once, Ip Man may not have any special powers, but that only makes this fight even more phenomenal!
#12: Flash Runs Back in Time
“Zack Snyder’s Justice League” (2021)Barry Allen, aka the Flash, may be the fastest man alive, but sometimes he’s not fast enough to save everyone. Such is the case when the Justice League fails to prevent Steppenwolf’s plans to terraform Earth with the Mother Boxes and they all die in an explosion. Or so it would seem! As the shockwave approaches him, Barry enters the Speed Force. This allows him to run faster than light, effectively turning back time, as his footsteps effectively create a new future as he runs to the past. By supercharging Cyborg, Flash helps prevent the explosion, saving the Justice League and the world! And when you’re powerful enough to save heroes of their caliber, that’s quite impressive!
#11: Darth Vader’s Rampage
“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” (2016)The Rebels’ daring raid to acquire the plans to the Death Star costs many lives, including all of the main protagonists of the film. But at least once the plans are in the hands of the Rebels, the danger is over, right? Wrong! Darth Vader boards the Rebel flagship and relentlessly pursues the intel, mowing men down with his lightsaber and throwing them around with the Force. This incredible scene was actually conceptualized late and added as part of reshoots - and thank goodness! It somehow captures all of Darth Vader’s might and badassery in one short scene.
#10: Evelyn Fights With Kindness
“Everything Everywhere All at Once” (2022)Evelyn Wang has maybe one of the weirdest days anyone has ever had in this film. Her rapidly developed ability to shift her mind into versions of herself across the multiverse comes in handy when trying to stop Jobu Tupaki, a version of her daughter, from using an apocalyptic bagel. Like we said - it’s real weird. And while her universe-hopping has allowed Evelyn to acquire various skills, the best one she learns is from her husband Waymond - being kind. As Evelyn fights through Jobu’s followers, she uses her abilities not to injure them, but rather to make them happy. This ranges from recreating a late wife’s perfume to a “Raccacoonie” situation. It’s a hilarious and uplifting way to fight.
#9: Thor Arrives in Wakanda
“Avengers: Infinity War” (2018)Yeah – we’re doing two Thor moments! But they’re in different movies, and we blame their awesomeness! The god of thunder is put through the wringer in this movie, with Thanos killing half his people, along with his brother. Thor sets out to create a new weapon capable of taking on the Mad Titan. Meanwhile, the Avengers and Wakandans battle Thanos’s Outriders, but are badly outnumbered. Just as they’re overwhelmed, Thos arrives like a boss, with Rocket and Groot in tow. He uses his new ax, Stormbreaker, to decimate Thanos’s forces, turning the tide of the battle. This is Thor in his prime - it honestly feels like he can accomplish anything in this moment.
#8: Harry Kills Everyone at the Church
“Kingsman: The Secret Service” (2014)The first “Kingsman” film illustrates early on that secret agent Harry Hart can handle himself. But this scene shows him take it to another level. While Harry is investigating a church, villain Richmond Valentine activates a signal through cell phones to make everyone, including Harry, murderously violent. Because of Harry’s training, he’s able to be ruthlessly efficient in his programmed directive, tearing through everyone else like tissue paper. When he runs out of bullets … well, he improvises! The free-flowing, brutal action, combined with the killer sounds of Lynyrd Skynyrd make for a great combo and a fight scene that’s not soon forgotten!
#7: The Bride vs. the Crazy 88
“Kill Bill: Volume 1” (2003)In this roaring rampage of revenge, Beatrix Kiddo, better known as the Bride, attacks a Japanese restaurant in Tokyo to get at her target, O-Ren Ishii. However, O-Ren is soon joined by her legion of skilled fighters, the Crazy 88. Vastly outnumbered, the Bride slices and dices her way through dozens of sword-wielding gangsters with creative and outlandish moves at every turn. And while she takes a few hits, mostly from the group’s leader, Johnny Mo, the Bride still turns a small army into mincemeat in a matter of minutes!
#6: Neo Believes
“The Matrix” (1999)The Wachowskis’ game-changing sci-fi film sees a lot of characters bending the laws of physics inside of the simulated reality that is the Matrix. However, things get epic when the protagonist Neo finally breaks them. After being shot and apparently killed by Agent Smith, Neo is resurrected by Trinity with a kiss. The hero then stands back up and doesn’t dodge the bullet the Agents shoot at him – because he doesn’t have to! Neo at last believes what Morpheus and Trinity believed all along – he is the One! Watching Agent Smith, who had previously been so unstoppable, get thoroughly handled and then blown up by Neo is incredibly satisfying. Within the Matrix, Neo might as well be a god.
#5: Burning Godzilla
“Godzilla: King of the Monsters” (2019)Godzilla is kind of always in god mode – it is in his name, after all. However, the iconic monster has received some awesome power-ups over the years. His infinite heat ray moment against Destroyah was definitely a contender. But we elected a more recent moment. While battling Ghidorah in Boston, Godzilla is already building towards a meltdown with a buildup of radiation. However, a boost from Mothra allows the reptile to use his burning thermonuclear power against Ghidorah. Godzilla is able to launch the radiation in waves at his foe, while being immune to Ghidorah’s own beam breath. After he killed his opponent in such a flashy way, it’s no wonder the other Titans bow to him. Hail to the king, baby!
#4: Gandalf vs. the Balrog
“The Lord of the Rings” trilogy (2001-03)“The Lord of the Rings” films have so many epic moments we could’ve chosen. And while Legolas taking down a squad of Haradrim is super cool, that still only counts as one. This one battle counts for many! Gandalf the wizard holds back the Balrog in the mines of Moria with only his staff and his sword. While their encounter on the bridge is legendary enough, their battle doesn’t end there! Gandalf fights Durin’s Bane all the way down and for days on end, all the way up the mountains again! The Balrog should’ve known not to mess with a servant of the Secret Fire!
#3: The Guardians Hold the Power Stone
“Guardians of the Galaxy” (2014)Turns out using his latent god powers wasn’t even the most power Star-Lord ever wielded. The finale of the first “Guardians” film sees Peter Quill distracting the villain Ronan with a would-be dance-off long enough for his friends to separate the Kree warlord from the Power Stone, one of the Infinity Stones. Quill leaps to catch it, but soon regrets it, since it proves extremely potent, flaking away parts of his body. But, as Ronan gloats, Quill’s friends hold on to him, spreading the power between them. As it stabilizes, the newly minted Guardians of the Galaxy use the energy to vaporize Ronan and save the galaxy. Can you imagine how powerful it would’ve been if they’d danced?
#2: Cap Wields Mjolnir
“Avengers: Endgame” (2019)Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor! Fans had long suspected that Steve Rogers, Captain America himself, would be able to wield Thor’s hammer. So, when Thanos is about to kill Thor during the final battle and Mjolnir flies through the air back into Cap’s hand – we all lost our minds! Cap is not only able to throw the hammer and call it back to him, he’s also able to summon lightning, which he uses in a fantastically awesome series of attacks against Thanos. This is Steve Rogers, the formerly skinny kid from Brooklyn, wielding the power of a god!
#1: “I Am Iron Man”
“Avengers: Endgame” (2019)We don’t usually do multiple entries from one film, but come on! This movie is so epic and there are so many moments to choose from, like Wanda’s revenge on Thanos! Iron Man’s final stand sees him use sleight of hand and nanites to steal the Infinity Stones from Thanos. He then uses the Stones, at the cost of his life, to defeat Thanos and his armies. And sure, technically, when Thanos snaps it’s more powerful, since he dusts half the universe. But, while we were tempted to choose that moment instead, ultimately, Tony Stark’s iconic final act felt more worthy of celebration. He looks cooler doing it, for one. Plus, Thanos is already practically a demi-god, while Tony is just a man - “Iron Man.”
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